Starcraft Coastal 2009 OB Review

The Starcraft Coastal 2009 OB neatly blends the seating capacity of a pontoon with runabout performance.

Deck boats are popular with boating families for the way they neatly blend the generous seating capacity of a pontoon boat with the spirited performance of a runabout. Celebrating its 115th year in business in 2018, New Paris, Indiana-based Starcraft Boats is a major player in the deck boat market, and its 2018 Starcraft Coastal 2009 OB, delivering a feature-packed interior and an affordable price tag that put deck boat cruising well within reach of young families.

The Starcraft Coastal 2009 OB delivers on the company’s heritage of value, with a long list of standard features and a couple of delightful surprises. There’s all the stuff you would expect to see on a family deck boat, along with thoughtful amenities you might expect to be options – goodies like tilt hydraulic steering, courtesy cockpit lights, a removable 34 L cooler, an Infinity Bluetooth stereo, a Bimini top with storage boot, and a locking full head compartment complete with a Porta-potti are all standard on the Coastal 2009 OB.

Step aboard at the dock and the main cockpit beckons with its inviting, oversized L-shaped rear lounge seat. Combined with the rear-facing seat along the port side, you have the ideal spot to watch the kids while they’re out back having a swim, or catching the action if you’re pulling riders on a tube or a wakeboard. The seating arrangement provides an intimate spot for quiet conversation, or a bit of lunch under the Bimini top. An integrated base plate in the floor between the helm seat and the wrap-around rear lounge accepts a removable, pedestal-mount table.

The main cockpit beckons with its inviting, oversized L-shaped rear lounge seat, with cooler storage in its base.

The port-side console works with the removable cooler under the rear seat to form a useful refreshment center, with its integral sink and faucet and storage space beneath. Opposite, there’s a stylish fiberglass helm console, which neatly conceals the step-in head compartment. The fact that this boat – at 15 feet, 11 inches in overall length – even has a head compartment speaks to Starcraft’s thoughtful design and creative engineering. After more than a century in the boat building business, Starcraft knows what families want.

The rear-facing seat along the port side makes the ideal spot to watch the kids swim or enjoy quiet conversation.

Starcraft also knows how to take care of the driver, and in the Coastal 2009 OB that means a fully-equipped console with full instrumentation – speedometer, tach, fuel gauge, volt meter – plus tilt hydraulic steering and a standard AM/FM stereo with an auxiliary port for an MP3 player. Standard docking lights are a nice touch.

The port-side console provides a useful refreshment center on this boat, with its integral sink and faucet with storage space beneath.

The Coastal’s fully-equipped console features full instrumentation, tilt hydraulic steering and a standard AM/FM stereo with an auxiliary port for an MP3 player.

There’s also a racing-style bucket seat with a flip-up bolster. The seat swivels, so you can be part of the conversation in the stern, and slides like a car seat you so can easily adjust it for optimal comfort when driving. The stylishly sculpted fiberglass helm features

Three integrated fibreglass steps in the port side wall make dockside entry and exit super-easy, and separate the rear seating area from the bow, where, twin facing loungers offer another snug seating spot. Kids, in particular, just love having two separate seating zones in the boat, and the comfy bow loungers give them plenty of space to stretch out and dry off after a swim.

The racing-style bucket seat features a flip-up bolster and a swiveling, sliding base.

The bow deck also includes an anchor locker, plus a retractable boarding ladder, making it much easier to get in and out when you beach the boat for a picnic. A split rear swim platform, connected to the cockpit by a transom walk-through, also offers a retractable boarding ladder, plus a convenient storage locker for wet gear like tow ropes.

To really add to its versatility, the Starcraft Coastal 2009 OB even offers a pair of removable pedestal-mount seats on the front deck. Although designed for fishing, they might be the best seats in the house any time you drop the anchor for lunch in a quiet cove.

With its modified dihedral V-hull design, the Coastal 2009 OB isn’t just about comfortable amenities, it’s also a hoot to drive. Our review boat, rigged with a Suzuki DF200 four-stroke, easily beat 50 mph with three people aboard and the Bimini top up! Handling is absolutely delightful, and visibility while underway is excellent. And with its massive 50-gallon fuel tank, the Starcraft Coastal 2009 has the kind of range to play all weekend without having to go look for a fuel dock.

Starcraft has been building a loyal following of happy customers since 1903, and boats like the Coastal 2009 OB are a big reason why. This is a nicely-made, versatile boat that does a lot of things well, and is priced with families in mind.

Starcraft Coastal 2009 OB

• Length: 15” 11”
• Beam: 102”
• Dry Weight: 2,715 lbs
• Passenger Capacity: 12
• Fuel Capacity: 166 L
• Maximum Horsepower: 200